HUCKLEBERRIES: Never-ending beat of the Rhythm Dawgs

It started as a one-night stand.

In spring 1986, a School District 271 support group wanted a band for a levy election victory party. So teacher-musician Jim Lien recruited educators who could sing or play instruments — a dozen or so.

Pride in Education backers were cautiously optimistic that the levy would pass, despite losses in previous elections. And they had reason to be. School patrons handed them a landslide victory.

“We didn’t know it was going to be a victory until the first votes came in,” said Jim Lien, now 70, who retired in 2011 after 14 years as the principal of Woodland Middle School.

Celebrants rejoiced and danced to the music of the ‘50s and ‘60s from Lien’s makeshift band, dubbed Heavy Levy and the Rhythm Dawgs. Later, the emerging band would shorten the name to Rhythm Dawgs.

And, 37 years later, Jim Lien's Rhythm Dawgs still perform.

Pride in Education was so pleased with the success of the election night celebration that it requested an encore, asking the Rhythm Dawgs to play at a fall 1986 fundraiser. While organizing the playlist for that event, Jim and others saw a chance to become “a convention/wedding/events band.”

The original band members who emerged from the Pride in Education events to perform with Jim were: art teacher John Davis of Canfield Middle School, art teacher Marge Christensen, also of Canfield, teacher Grae Smart of Hayden Lake Elementary, non-teacher Nick Schilling, choir teacher Jim Gray of Lakes Middle School, and vice principal John House of Canfield.

Jim Lien, Jim Gray and Lane Sumner performed together, off and on, for 25-plus years, as other members came and went

Early on, the band fielded job offers. And the opening of The Coeur d’Alene Resort in May 1986 helped, too.

Said Jim: “When The Resort opened, we saw an opportunity to play bigger events.”

The Rhythm Dawgs played one of its biggest early events in summer 1992 when it opened for the Everly Brothers at Silver Mountain, an experience Jim described to a Press reporter later as “intimidating.”

Thirty years ago today (Oct. 22, 1993), the band played at an event it enjoyed more than others — the last Coeur d’Alene High homecoming dance before the school was split in two. The band enjoyed performing before former students who saw them for the first time as entertainers — not just teachers.

Jim credits former mayor Ray Stone for teaching him how to lead a band. For two years (1984-86), Jim performed with Stone’s jazz combo here and on the road. He served as Stone’s driver when the band played in Lewiston. “Ray treated me so well,” Jim said. “And he taught me a lot.”

In 1990, Mayor Stone appointed Jim to the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, a position he continues to hold.

The Rhythm Dawgs still perform 15 to 20 times each year, playing a variety of musical styles, including western, and some Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake. But Jim is concerned that listeners don’t dance much now. He may bring back the early gimmicks like twist and limbo contests — or even the 1950s stroll — to encourage concert goers to get out of their seats.

Jim is as focused the Rhythm Dawgs and its music today as ever. He has no plans to hang up his bass guitar.

North Idaho’s ‘Cheers’

In the old days, candidates for Fightin' Creek mayor lied, cheated, and bribed their way into office for a one-year term — all with the approval of the barflies who voted for them. Ballot stuffing was encouraged, too.

The hilarity occurred each fall beginning in 1987 when some patrons at the Fighting Creek Trading Post decided the place needed a mayor. Anyone was allowed to run — dead or alive — except dogs. The mayor’s duties were simple: Keep the outside two-hole outhouse clean and stocked with toilet paper.

Bill Robins, a hot dog vendor and metal fabricator, was the town’s first mayor. He considered Monday Night Football to be a council meeting of sorts.

In 1988 (35 years ago), 26 live candidates and six dead ones vied to become Fightin' Creek’s second mayor. The list of deceased candidates included Hank Williams Sr., Lou Gehrig and John Wayne. The mayoral high jinks ended some 20 years ago with the sale of the tavern, 18 miles south of Coeur d’Alene.

By that time, Fightin' Creek’s lying, cheating, and corruption may have become too tame for modern politics.

No Time to Whine

It has been said: “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”

Jerry Elston was a man who had no feet. Or knees. He lost his legs in an industrial accident at Pacific Timber Products in Plummer in December 1987.

Sixteen years later, in October 2003, the Coeur d’Alene Press caught up to him while he was rolling his wheelchair on a daily 16-to-20-mile jaunt on the U.S. 95 bike path, between Highway 53 (Garwood area) and Hayden. At the time, Jerry, then an indomitable 63-year-old, had only 82 miles left to reach his goal of wheeling 3,000 miles for the year — or a distance from Coeur d’Alene to Miami.

He refused to complain about his handicap. He told the Press: If you whine, you’re not going to have anybody around you. I don’t want to sit around and not do anything.” Words to live by.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: Blowest thou North Wind/oh blowest ye hard,/and moveth these leaves/to mine neighbor’s yard — The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Ye Olde Autumn Wind”).

Short Sighted: On Oct. 18, 1948, William Redmond was delighted with a plan to build a road to the top of Tubbs Hill to install a police radio transmitter. Redmond? He was chairman of the Tubbs Hill Development Committee. And he viewed Tubbs Hill as “a pile of rocks” that should be developed. Said he: “We definitely are going to have something on the hill someday, we hope.” Fortunately, he was wrong.

Axed: No cottonwoods grow in City Park now for good reason. In 1988, falling branches from rotting cottonwoods along the waterfront, almost brained two Seasoned Citizens and a hot dog vendor. A month later, a falling cottonwood branch, 3 inches in diameter, hit a parks employee, sending him to the hospital. The 30 shore cottonwoods were replaced by 45 Patmore ash trees.

Did You Know … that third-grader Tammy Walker, 7, suggested the name — Seltice — for the new Post Falls primary school that was dedicated 50 years ago (Oct. 21, 1973). The name honors Andrew W. Seltice, the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe chief from 1863-1902. On Sept. 16, 1889, with the consent of his people, Chief Seltice sold what is now the city of Post Falls to Frederick Post.

Peppy Preps — Following The Shadows rock band of the early 1960s and before the Rhythm Dawgs of 1986 and beyond, there was “Seven” — a 1968 subset of the Coeur d’Alene High pep band. Seven was in demand at rallies, fundraisers and meetings of civic groups like the Hydromaniacs and Hoo-Hoo Club. The Seven produced men who have served this town well, including Dave Patzer, Monte Miller, Dennis Burt, and Dan English.

Parting Shot

Community activist Christa Hazel comes by her love for North Idaho College honestly. She was transformed by her two years at our community college, including the year she served as student body president. Thirty years ago, Christa was one of the speakers at the annual NIC Legislative Day. She told local legislators that she arrived at the college as a "head-strong, independent girl who didn’t feel challenged by her larger high school." She learned responsibility and gained maturity at the college. “NIC has opened doors for me I couldn’t even begin to imagine,” she said. “It’s almost a hunger to come to school every day.” Today, Christa is a leading voice for moderation and community values. Not bad for a woman who told legislators that she attended NIC to placate her parents and save money — to shop.

D.F. “Dave” Oliveria can be contacted at dfo@cdapress.com.